Located just a few kilometres away from the world-renowned Jungle Beach in Unawatuna, Rumassala Sanctuary is indeed a paradise for those who love nature. In 2016 with the El Nino effect, the coral reef in the area was destroyed and around 95% of corals died in the incident – the reason for the project to commence.
‘Life to Reef’ a project proposed by Wildlife & Ocean Resource Conservation (WORC) attempts to restore the reef as naturally as possible – giving space for the coral polyps to regenerate on their own and colonise by accommodating the natural environment and space it needs to grow. The main objective of the project, started in 2017, is to clean the reef and to restore the reef by re-planting broken corals. The sanctuary belongs to the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), and they monitor the project and site regularly.
Corals like Acropora sp and Montipora sp are used the most as they are corals that can grow much faster (1 cm per month). These types of corals enhance the ecosystem and bring in a diversity of other species of fish and sea life. We have re-planted around 3 hectares, and in some, natural colonisation has already started. Once the reef is a healthy ecosystem, it will become an ideal ecosystem for fish production and will act as natural barriers for many coastal natural disasters. Through the project we have been able to educate the community of the importance of the ecosystem and how they may contribute towards restoration and protection of the sanctuary as it is a source of income generation and a great tourist attraction.